Jeanette Taylor
Member of the Chicago City Council
from the 20th Ward
Assumed office
May 20, 2019
Preceded byWillie Cochran
Personal details
Born
Jeanette Beatrice Taylor

(1975-05-15) May 15, 1975
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
WebsiteOfficial website

Jeanette Beatrice Taylor[1] (born May 16, 1975) is an American politician and community organizer. Taylor is the alderman of Chicago, Illinois' 20th ward, taking office as a member of the Chicago City Council in May 2019. She won an open race to succeed outgoing alderman Willie Cochran in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic elections.[2][3] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[4]

Early life and career

Taylor was born in Chicago on May 15, 1975.[5][6] Her parents were a clerk at Chicago Public Schools and a taxi driver.[6] For high school, Taylor attended Dunbar Vocational High School.[6][7] At age 19, Taylor was elected as a member of the local school council for Mollison Elementary School, where her son attended school, and served in that position for over 20 years.[5] She has been an organizer at Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, and is a member of People United for Action and United Working Families.[5] In 2015, Taylor led a hunger strike that successfully protested the proposed closure of Dyett High School.[3][8]

Chicago City Council (2019–present)

Taylor took office as a member of Chicago City Council on May 20, 2019. In July 2019, Taylor and fellow alderman Leslie Hairston introduced a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ordinance aimed at protecting affordable housing near the proposed Barack Obama Presidential Center development.[9][10] The ordinance gained the support of nearly 30 aldermen, but in January 2020, the Lightfoot administration announced that it would support a scaled-back version. Taylor opposed the scaled-back version and reiterated support for the initial CBA ordinance.[11] In July 2020, a compromise ordinance was formulated after negotiations between Lightfoot's administration, aldermen Taylor and Hairston, and community groups.[12] Taylor called the compromise ordinance a "step in the right direction" and called for further action.[13]

In November 2019, Taylor was one of eleven aldermen to vote against Mayor Lori Lightfoot's first budget.[14] She joined all five other members of the Socialist Caucus in signing a letter to Lightfoot which criticized her budget for "an over-reliance on property taxes" and "regressive funding models" that are "burdensome to our working-class citizens, while giving the wealthy and large corporations a pass."[15]

References

  1. ↑ Facebook, Jeanette Beatrice Taylor
  2. ↑ "Jeanette Taylor Declares Victory, Vows To Unite The 20th Ward: 'We've Got To Come Together'". Block Club Chicago. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  3. 1 2 "South Side incumbent clings to lead as Dyett hunger striker poised to win 20th". Chicago Sun-Times. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  4. ↑ "Socialists Surge to Victories in Chicago City Council". The Guardian. 2019-04-03. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04.
  5. 1 2 3 "Jeanette B. Taylor | Candidate for City Council | 2019 Election Voters' Guide | Chicago News | WTTW". WTTW News. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  6. 1 2 3 ""I Love Chicago. I'm Gonna Fight to Stay Here."". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  7. ↑ Dunbar Vocational High School, Prospectus, (Chicago, Illinois), 1991 Yearbook
  8. ↑ Taylor-Ramann, Jeanette (August 24, 2015). "Why I'm hunger striking for Dyett High School". Chicago Reporter. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  9. ↑ Bowean, Lolly; Byrne, John (2019-07-23). "Chicago aldermen to introduce plan aimed at protecting affordable housing around planned Obama Presidential Center site". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  10. ↑ Evans, Maxwell (July 24, 2019). "Obama Center Community Benefits Ordinance Can Be Chicago's Model For Development Without Displacement, Alds. Say". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  11. ↑ Evans, Maxwell (January 29, 2020). "City's Scaled-Back Obama Center Housing Plan Doesn't Do Enough To Protect Woodlawn, Alderman Says". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  12. ↑ Nitkin, Alex (July 22, 2020). "How Lightfoot And Housing Activists Reached An Uneasy Truce In The Battle For Woodlawn's Future". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  13. ↑ Evans, Maxwell (July 22, 2020). "Organizers Celebrate Woodlawn Housing Protections, But Fight Continues To Keep Affordable Housing Near Obama Center". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  14. ↑ Spielman, Fran (26 November 2019). "City Council approves Lightfoot's $11.6 billion budget — with 11 'no' votes". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  15. ↑ Bremer, Shelby (26 November 2019). "Chicago City Council Passes Lightfoot's Budget Proposal". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
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